Self-rotating propeller.



E. A. DUC, JB. SELF ROTATING PROPELLBR.

APPLICATION FILED No.1?, 1910.

Patented June 2, 1914,

Rw a ax Vrin: maal v Huid Umran "STATES PATENT orrrcn HENRY A. DUC, JB.,0F CHARLESTON, SCUTH-CARGLINA.

SELF-BOTATING. PROPELLER.

Specication of Letters Patent.v

Patented J une 2, 1914;

application mea December ir, 191e. serial No. 597,886.

Toall whom it may concern Beit known that I, VHENRY A. Duo, Jr., ofCharleston, in the county of Charleston and State of South Carolina,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-RotatingPropellers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings7 which form part of this specication.

This invention is an improvement in what .I call a combined propellerand engine, or

engine-propeller, in that the engine and propeller are formed of one andthe same parts and are inseparable.

. Y The object of the invention is to produce a self-rotatingpropellerrwhich may be used advantageously on :nr-ships, ,vessels, and

:torother purposes in the mechanical arts.

The principalobjects of the invention are to make an engine-propeller inwhich there will be the smallest possible amount of frictional surfaces;in which the abutments of the engine are also the propeller blades; inwhich the working chambers of the engine are within the propeller; andin which the reactive propulsive force of the impelling or gas isexerted directly upon the propeller blades at the points where it willhave the greatest eiiiciency in rotating the propeller upon its ownaxis.

The invention is particularly designed lfor use where high-speedhigh-power propellers are desired, and lightness, strength andsimplicity Vof parts is essential; and the invention is particularlyadapted for use for pro- .vpelling aeroplanes, helicopters, and other.embodyin the invention.

types of aeronautical apparatus.

It may also be employed for marine pro pulsion and many other purposesin the art. `In the accompanying drawings IV have illustrated in thesimplest manner a self-v contained engine-propeller and Vwill explain'the invention with reference to said draw-4 ings, sufieiently to enableany one skilled 1n the artate construct vand use an apparatus In therawingsFigure l is a front view of an engine-propeller partly in4section.

Fig. 2 is in section. Fig. -3 is a detail section the hub of theengine-propeller. Fig. 4f is adetail longitudinalfsection showing a modaside elevation thereof, partly throughication thereof. f Fig. 5 is adetail view l indicating the -application propeller to an air-ship. l

The engine-propeller in its simplest form resembles an ordinary twobladed propeller having a hub l and diametrically opposite blades la..The hub is rotatably' journaled upon a shaft 2 iixedly mounted on anysuitable supports, andthe hub may be rotatably secured on said shaftbetween collars 2Il fast to the shaft. The shaft' 2 is preferably madetubular, as shown, so that it can be used as the duct to supply theexplosive or propelling Huid from a reservoir 2 to the engine-propeller.

As shown, the shaft 2 is provided with ports 2C which are adapted tocommunicate at certainl times during the rotation of theengine-propeller with channels lfJ in the blades la, which channelsextend outwardly through the blades and communicate near the outer endsthereof with one or a series of jet apertures l, which are arrangedtransversely of the blade and open out through the following edge of theblade thatlis in a direction contrary to the direction of movement ofthe blade. Preferably a plurality of jet apertures lc are employed.

of such engine- I prefer toemploy an explosive mixture y indicated inthe drawings electrical igniting i devices,

comprising insulated sparking plugs 3 entering the inner ends of the jetapertures 1c and connected by insulated wires 3 .with a brush 3battached to the hub l; andfsaid brush at the proper time during therotation of the propel er (and contact 3 which is connected to one ter-Vmina] of a battery 3d the other terminal of which may be connectedtothe metal frame of the engine, the parts being insulated in suchmannerthat only when the brush 3b engages contact 3 will the electricalcircuit be closed, and when the brush leaves the c011- `when the ports`2c` are not in registerv with .the passages 1") contacts with anlnsulated the ropeller blades,

the resultant .when the brush 3b tact sparks are reduced at the gap inthe jet apertures W ichwill ignite the explosive mixture in said jetapertures, and ases will be ejected from said apertures Wit such forcethat the reaction thereof will rotate .the propeller.

Obviously by properly designing and proportioning the parts and using asuitable explosive fluid or mixture, a very high speed and highefiiciency engine-propeller can be obtained; and there is practically nomoving part except the propeller itself ;-the shaft 2 being stationaryand the propeller rotating upon said shaft. The only friction is thatbetween the hub of the propeller and the shaft; this invention thereforepresents the simplest possible type of engine-propeller, and as thereactive force of the propulsive gases is applied at or near theextremity of the blades Where the greatest resistance is encountered, itis obvious that there is practically no torsional strain upon and theblades drive the ub, instead of the hub driving the blades; andtherefore the parts of the enginepropeller can be made much lighter thanWould be practical for an ordinary propeller.

As shown in Fig. 4 an explosive chamber 1e may be formed in the hub ofthe enginepropeller, this chamber being connected by the passages 1bWith the jet apertures l, as in Fig. 1; and gas is admitted'into thischamber le through the ports lf in the hub which communicate With theports 2 in the shaft so that explosive mixture Will be admittedintermittently into saidchamber 1e during the rotation of ytheengine-propeller. The gases in chamber 1La may be exploded, after theports 2 are closed, by means of a sparking plug 3, 3,-the former ofwhich is connected to the brush 3, and the latter electrically connectedto the metal of-the enginepropeller so that the circuit will be closedengages the contact 3, as above described. In this case, after the ports2c, lt are out of register, the spark ignites the explosive mixture inchamber le and the resultant gases escape violently through the passageslb and jet apertures 1c. In this latter construction the gas jets Wouldbe of longer duration than they would be if exploded at the bases of thejet apertures 1C, as above described.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated such an. engine-propeller Aas used in ahelicopter; in Which case a large engine-propeller l can be mounted on avertical shaft 2 to lift the frame 4, which may be of any suitableconstruction. As shown this shaft has a reservoir 2b at base, secured tothe frame 4 of the helicopter; I have Simply indicated in Fig. 4 onepractical vuse of the invention. The engine-propeller may also be usedfor driving a helicopter, or other aeroplane, hori- 'signed for use withexplosive zontally and I have shown in' Fig. 5 an engine-propeller l*mounted upon a horizontal shaft 2", connected With-the frame 4 andreservoir 2b, and which can be used to propel the machine horizontallythrough the air. While the invention is primarily demixtures theengine-propeller would be eiicient if steam or compressed air wereadmitted through the shaft 2 to the propeller blades, the reaction ofthe steam or air jets causing the rotation of the engine-propeller. Ifused on vessels water might be used as the actuating fluid and .beforced under high pressure into and through the engine-propeller by anysuitable pumplng means.

By increasing the diameter and length of the hub of the propeller, anynumber of explosive chambers may be added, so that an increased orcontinuous pressure would beV supplied if needed, and the passagesthrough which all of the pressure escapes,

gradually enlarged to`reduce frictional retardation, due to highervelocity, from `in creased pressure, from multiplied explosions.

What I claim is:

may be' 1. In combination, a shaft provided with ports at one end, anengine-propeller rotaupon said shaft and having tably mounted its bladesprovided with passages adapted to register with the ports in the shaftand jet apertures communicating with said passages and opening throughthe following edges of the blades near the outer ends thereof; withmeans for supplying explosive fluid through said shaft to saidpropeller, and

ice

means for igniting the explosive fluid in the propeller when the portsare closed.

2. An engine-propeller consisting of a hollow hub and propeller bladesconnected therewith, having jet apertures opening through the followingedges of their blades near the outer ends thereof, and passagesextending through the blades for conducting the gases from said hub tosaid jet apertures,

and means 'for exploding gases in said hub whereby the blades arerotated by the reaction of the jets.

3. In combination, a shaft provided with ports at one end, an enginepropeller rotatably mounted upon said' shaft and having blades providedwith passages adapted to register with the ports in the shaft, and jetapertures in the following edges of the blades communicating With saidpassages and means for exploding fluid in said passages, with means forsupplying explosive gases to the jet apertures.

4. In combination, a shaft provided with ports at one end, anengine-propeller rotatably mounted upon said shaft and. having bladesrovided with passages adapted to register with the ports in the shaft asthe propeller rotates, and jet apertures communicating with saidpassages and opening through as my own, I aifix mysignature in presencethe following edges of the bla'des; with means of two Witnesses.

or supplying explosive Huid through said f shaft to said propeller, andmeans for ig- 4 HENRY A' DUC JR' 5 niting the explosive fluid in thepropeller Witnesses:

when the ports are closed. JAMES R. lVlAlvsFniLD,` lln testimony that Iclaim the foregoing LILLIAN E. WITHAM.

